


Your Vows

by agoodwoman



Series: Revival [11]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:12:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5251166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoodwoman/pseuds/agoodwoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabble about a conversation between Charlie and Dana</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Vows

There had been too many visits to hospitals in her lifetime as a patient and visitor but never as many as she had in the last year for her mother. When the doctor's told her that her heavy habit would eventually cause a stroke or heart attack, Maggie took it seriously but twenty years later, she paid the price with her life. The arteries and veins, the muscle that pumped her blood could only take so much and at 81, finally stopped beating. 

 

As a doctor and a pathologist, she was aware of the mortality and the mortality of those in her life. She refused to allow anyone to get to close on the very basis that she knew they would one day be gone however she didn't look at her mother that way. She was a permanent figure. Always there, always comforting and every present with words of advice or a knowing look when Dana was being too stubborn or willful. What Ahab fought against, Maggie encouraged and appreciated. The spit and vinegar that was Dana Scully made her mother proud. 

 

She snorted at the realization that this was now past tense. 

 

"What's funny?" 

 

Dana Scully uncrossed her arms and turned to her brother. "I was referring to Mom in the present tense in my mind..."

 

"That's normal, isn't it?" Charlie asked.

 

She shrugged and shook her head as she crossed her arms again, hugging herself. "I don't know. I think psychologically the tear is there and we have to correct ourselves, remind ourselves that those we've lost are past tense and eventually it becomes the habit."

 

"Jesus you are dark," he huffed and walked around her to sit on the chair he had occupied for the last two days. "I hate this place. I don't want to see the inside of a palliative care wing for another 50 years."

 

"Where's Lucy?" Dana asked about her sister in law. 

 

"She took the kids to the museum," Charlie replied. "Whatever museum had the dinosaur exhibit. I didn't want them here for this." Charlie looked around the room and waited a beat. "Where's Mulder?"

 

Dana narrowed her eyes on her brother. "I don't know."

 

"Did you call him?" he challenged.

 

"Why are you pushing this?" she asked, frustrated.

 

Charlie stood up and rubbed his hands across his face. "He's your husband, Dana. You can't just walk away. Think of your vows. Think of all you've been through."

 

"I am..." Dana hugged herself tighter and fought the tears that threatened to fall. She wiped away one quickly and steadied her breath.

 

"That's exactly my point. You had good stuff in there. I saw it. It wasn't all darkness and fighting but my guess is that if it was you loved it anyway."

 

"Charlie..." 

 

"No, Dana!" he shouted and clenched his fists. He calmed his Scully temper and shook his head at her stubbornness. "This is bull shit. you can say you got out to save yourself or some garbage about not being able to save him but that's what marriage is. That's the vows we took. We say for better or for worse. And if you didn't want that you shouldn't have said yes."

 

"You don't know the half of it," she said weakly.

 

"I know enough," he retorted. "I know enough to know that you need him as much as he needs you. There's a perfect other for everyone and if you think you're better off without him you're wrong. When Lucy and I were really not... I thought she was going to leave me for good and I was tempted to throw in the towel. That's not the point. Whatever has been going on, you have to fix it, you have to try."

 

"I did try!" she cried and wiped back another tear. "I can't listen to this."

 

"Stop running from your goddamned problems, Dana! Face him. Help him and fight for what you had. For god sakes! You two deserve each other."

 

"You're taking out what's going on with mom on me and I don't need this, Charlie," Scully snapped. "Not right now."

 

"Someone has to call you on your crap! You're not some victim to him. You chose him a hundred times. You kept making that choice and you do that when you're married. Stop acting like being with Mulder is something that was done to you. You love him. And you have to fight with him or for him. Whatever the fight is."

 

"It's bigger than me," she replied weakly. "The passion he dedicates himself to. It's bigger than me and more than us. I can't be the second choice like Mom was to Dad and the sea."

 

"Why not? That's what you loved about him. You know if Bill was here he'd make some crack about being happy Mulder wasn't here and that's the kind of garbage we don't need. You love him and he loves you. Get your head out of your ass and fix your family."

 

 


End file.
